C. HOW DOES YOUR ENVIRO BATTERY WORK? D ... - 4M-IND.com

C. HOW DOES YOUR ENVIRO BATTERY WORK?
Your enviro battery works by immersing a pair (or pairs) of connected zinc
and copper plates into an aqueous medium such as a potato, mud, water,
or a piece of fruit. The zinc plate is the negative electrode; the copper plate
is the positive electrode. When the metals are immersed into the electrolyte,
a chemical reaction takes place. The acid in the electrolyte breaks down
the atomic structure of the copper and zinc, causing individual electrons
to be released. Zinc is a more reactive metal than copper in this chemical
process. It generates electrons faster than copper in this chemical process.
The excess electrons flow from the zinc plate to the copper plate. This flow
of the electrons from a reactive metal to a less reactive metal forms a small
current which is strong enough to power a small light bulb, a small watch or
a sound chip.
copper
zinc
So, now that you know the basics, let the experiments begin!
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zinc
D. POTATO POWER: MAKE A POTATO-POWERED CLOCK
YOU’LL NEED
From the kit: The LCD watch movement with its protective cover, 2
zinc plates, 2 copper plates, adhesive tape and a connecting wire.
Red Red Black Black
From home: 2 potatoes or any fruits e.g. lemons, apples.
copper
copper
Red Red Black Black
copper
copper
zinc
copper
zinc
zinc
zinc
zinc
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
There are universal standards for positive and
negative terminals. The positive terminal is always
the red coloured wire, whereas the negative
terminal is always black. Always connect
the negative terminal to a zinc plate (or a more
reactive metal) and the positive terminal to the
copper plate (or a less reactive metal). Note: It
is important that the exposed wire and the plate
touch. Use the transparent tape provided in
the kit to further secure the connection.
1. Connect the black wire from the LCD watch (negative) to one of the zinc
plates by carefully threading the wire’s exposed metallic end through the
hole on the plate. Gently twist the wire to secure it to the plate.
2. Connect the red wire from the watch (positive) to a piece of copper plate.
3. Assemble a “connection pair” by connecting the other pair of copper and
zinc plates with a connection wire.
4. Now that all of the components are connected, insert the copper and zinc
plates into the potatoes as shown in the diagram. Voila! You have created
a battery to power the LCD clock! (See section M for setting the clock)
connection pair
Note: After your experiments are complete, clean the zinc and copper plates to
prevent rust and oxidization.
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zinc

E. MUSICAL MUD: MAKE A SOUND - CHIP SING
YOU’LL NEED
From the kit: The electronic sound chip, 2 pairs of copper and zinc
plates, adhesive tape, a connecting wire and a paper cup.
From home: 2 small potted plants or 2 cups of garden dirt.
1. Make sure the pots or cups of soil are reasonably moist.
2. Connect the sound chip to a pair of copper and zinc plates using the same
technique as in the mini clock (i.e. red wire to copper plate, black wire to
zinc plate).
3. Make a connection pair with the other zinc and copper plate as in D3.
4. Insert the zinc and copper plates into to the soil as shown in the diagram.
add some water
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zinc
Did the chip sing?
If the experiment worked, you should hear a faint noise coming from the
round metal plate of the sound chip. To amplify the sound,
tape the base of the sound chip to the paper cup. The
paper cup
sound should now be louder. You should be able to
hear a bird singing. Why? The paper cup resonates
with the sound wave generated by the sound chip
making it louder. Experiment using different
“amplifiers” e.g. a water glass, a soda can etc. You’ll
be amazed with the different sound effects they
produce!
copper
zinc
F. WATER WONDER: MAKE A BATTERY WITH WATER
YOU’LL NEED
From the kit: The light tower with LED lamp installed, 3 specially designed screw
caps, 3 zinc plates, 3 copper plates and connecting wires. From home: Three
small plastic water bottles (or you could simply use the cups provided, in this
case, the specially designed screw cap is not needed).
1. Fill three bottles with water.
2. Connect the LED light on the light tower to a pair of zinc and copper plates
as done in the previous experiments.
3. Make 2 connection pair with the other zinc and copper plates.
4. Insert the zinc and copper plates into the water containers as shown in the
diagram. Make sure the plates do not touch each other as this will cause
a short circuit and the LED lamp will not light up.
Did the LED light up? Was it bright? Try adding some vinegar into the solution.
Does this make the LED brighter? Can you explain why adding vinegar
to the water would make a difference? Because water is neutral and metals
are more reactive in acidic solutions, the current produced is stronger when
vinegar, or other acidic solution, is added to the water. Now try using a salt
solution, water and fruit juice. Record your findings on the experiment sheet.
Which solution produces the best results and causes the LED to shine brightest?
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zinc
zinc
copper
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Remark: If the bottles used
in this experiment are too
tall, you may need to stand
the light tower on the screw
cap due to the connection
wire’s length limit. On the
other hand, you may choose
to change to other display
devices like the sound chip
or LCD clock so that it could
dangle naturally after the
circuit is set.

copper
copper
aluminum foil
soaked cotton
coin
aluminum foil
soaked cotton
coin

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I. FREAKY FORK: MAKE A FORK BATTERY
YOU’LL NEED
From the kit: 2 zinc plates, LCD clock, adhesive tape and
connection wire. From home: 2 forks, 1 lemon - halved.
1. Connect one end of the red wire to the fork. Use a clothes peg
or adhesive tape to secure the connection.
2. Connect the black wire to the zinc plate.
3. Now get another fork and zinc plate, connect them with a wire to
make a “connection pair”.
4. To activate the clock, insert all metals into the lemon as shown in the
diagram.
zinc
How does it work?
The fork acts like the positive electrode of the battery, like the copper plates
in previous experiments. Most tableware utensils are plated with a metal
which is less reactive than zinc. When both the utensils and zinc plates are
inserted in the lemon, a reaction takes place. Electrons move from the zinc
plates to the fork forming a current.
J. ADDITIONAL EXPERIMENTS
You can do more experiments by combining those provided in the kit with
materials from home. Here are some of the materials you could try:
Electrolyte: Soda drink, salt water, fruit juice, different fruit etc. Positive Electrode:
any kind of copper, copper plated metal and alloy, copper screw/nuts,
copper key, copper foil, different kinds of brownish coins, copper wire, spoon.
Negative Electrode: iron, aluminum, any kind of zinc plated metal, common
screw/nuts/washer/nail, iron wire. Mix and match the different metals, the
electrolytes and display devices. Record each of your findings on the record
sheet and compare the results. It’s fun to analyze your results and develop
hypothesis for additional experiments.
zinc
K. EXPERIMENT RECORD SHEET
*1 - 6 are experiments from section D - J.
Positive
Electrode
Negative
Electrode
Electrolyte
Display
Media
1* Copper Plate Zinc Plate Potato LCD Clock 2
2*
3*
4*
5*
6*
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Copper Plate Zinc Plate Mud Sound Chip 2
Copper Plate Zinc Plate Water (Vinegar) LED Lamp 2
Copper Plate Paper Clip Soda drink Sound Chip 2
Coin Aluminum Foil Vinegar Sound Chip 2
Fork Zinc Plate Lemon LCD Clock 2
Number of
connections
Comment
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L. FUN FACTS
“Voltaic Pile” - Did you know that one of the first batteries was actually a stack
of metal discs separated by cotton that was soaked in salt water? The coin
experiment outlined in this kit is very similar. Although you used vinegar (it’s
more acidic) instead of saltwater, the principle is exactly the same!
Gaston Plante invented the first lead-acid battery in 1859, and Thomas Edison
invented the first alkaline cell in 1914, less than 100 years ago! Can
you imagine life without batteries? No flashlights, no CD or MP3 players, no
handheld games, or digital watches! But that’s only the tip of the iceberg,
there would be no hearing aids or digital thermometers, no remote toys, no
cell phones, most calculators wouldn’t work, and there would be a handcrank
on your parent’s car! What other items can you think of that require
batteries?
How are batteries recharged? Recharging a battery simply requires that you reverse
the flow of electrons using a separate energy source such as electricity
or solar panels. When the process is complete, the positive and negative
elements of the battery are restored to their original state and can be used
again. The problem with recharging; however, is that the battery starts to
loose its charge a little faster each time it is recharged. Scientists are looking
for new types of batteries that don’t harm the environment and that can be
replenished without using electricity.
Why are store-bought batteries hazardous to the environment? Stop and think
about it. Do you have any ideas? Well if you guessed that they are pollutants,
you’re absolutely correct! The chemicals used in batteries eventually corrode
through the battery casing and leak into the soil, eventually making its way
into our water sources. Some of these chemicals, such as mercury, were
considered so dangerous to the environment that they have been outlawed in
certain countries! One of the most popular components in today’s batteries
is lead. Billions of wet-cell lead-acid batteries are manufactured each year for
use in automobiles, motorcycles and boats! That’s a lot of batteries, and a
lot of pollutants! So until there is a better, environmentally friendly battery
source, make sure you recycle and tell your friends to recycle too! Most city’s
have drop-off centers for batteries. If you don’t know where to go, have a parent
call the city offices to get the information you need. Remember to think
GREEN SCIENCE!
M. SETTING THE WATCH
1. Setting the watch
• Press A twice and the display will show the set month mode, then
Press B to adjust to the right month.
• After the month is set, Press A to confirm, and the set day mode
will be displayed, Press B to adjust the to the right day.
• After the day is set, Press A to confirm and the set hour
mode will be displayed, Press B to adjust to the right
hour.
After the hour is set, Press A to confirm and the set
• minute mode will be displayed, Press B to adjust
to the right minute.
After the minute is set, Press A to confirm and the
• normal time will be displayed. You should see the two
dots flashing between the hour and minute display.
2. Viewing
• By default, the clock display shows the current time.
• To view the Date: Press B once. The clock display will resume showing the
current time after 2 second.
• To view the Seconds, Press B for twice. To resume to normal time, Press
B again.
• To view the Time and Date alternately, Press A once. To resume to normal
time display, Press A 5 times to skip all set clock modes.
N. TROUBLE SHOOTING
If your experiment produces a weak sound or light signal, try one of
the following:
1. Give it time, the signal is sometimes weak at the beginning of the experiment,
but gets stronger after a short while.
2. You can try adding another connection to strengthen the current. For
example in experiment 1, instead of using two potatoes, you could add
another one. However, you will need to make another connection pair with
an extra pair of zinc and copper plates. The whole circuit has to be connected
in correct sequence. The display devices provided are of different
voltage. The sound chip has the lowest voltage, whereas the clock is in
the middle and the LED lamp is the highest. You will find the sound chip
can easily be activated in most conditions. (You could even try using one
connection for the sound chip by using a half lemon). However, the LED
lamp, depending on the acidity of the solution and the metal used, may
require as many as 3 or 4 connections to make it light up brightly.
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N. TROUBLE SHOOTING (CONTINUED)
3. Examine the metal plates for rust (oxidization). Use sand paper to remove
any rust.
4. Try putting the metal plates closer together (but not touching each other).
Conduction will be better if the distance between the plates is shorter.
5. If there is no reaction whatsoever, check all the connection points. Make
sure that the connection points are correctly and firmly placed. Also,
check if the polarities are correct - negative (black wires) and positive (red
wires) terminals are connected properly.
6. Check if the metal plates/wires are touching each other, this causes
short circuits.
QUESTIONS & COMMENTS
We treasure you as a customer and your satisfaction with this product is important to us. In case
you have any comments or questions, or you find any parts of this kit missing or defective, please do
not hesitate to contact our distributor in your country, whose address is printed on the package. You
are also welcome to contact our marketing support team at Email: infodesk@4M-IND.com, Fax (852)
25911566, Tel (852) 28936241, Web site: WWW.4M-IND.COM
Build a better tomorrow through education & awareness.
You will like the other great Green Science kits:
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hand motion into electrical energy and powers a light
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generator could be used as an awesome emergency
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00-03266 Robugs
Millions of soda can are wasted everyday. Help save
our environment. Recycle one of them and turn it into
a cool robotic bug. Switch it on and watch it vibrate
causing it to slide across the floor. It even emits a
“buzz” as it moves along - just like a real bug. It’s an
awesome robotic science kit.
A. SAFETY MESSAGES
1. Please read all instructions before you begin.
2. Adult assistance and supervision is recommended.
3. The kit is intended for children age over 8.
4. This kit and its finished products contain small parts which may cause
choking hazard. Keep away from children under 3 years old.
5. Please ask an adult for help when getting any material (i.e. potatoes,
fruits, juice, etc) needed for the experiments.
6. Food or beverages used in these experiments are not edible. Please
dispose of them immediately after use.
7. Do not connect any of the parts provided to any AC wall socket or any batteries.
This may cause electric shock or a short circuit.
B. CONTENTS
4 zinc plates (silvery grey), 4 copper plates (brownish), 4 connection wires,
2 plastic cups, 1 paper cup, 2 specially designed bottle screw caps, 1 light
tower with LED lamp, 1 sound chip, 1 LCD watch moment with protective
cover, 1 set transparent adhesive tapes, 1 set experiment instruction guide
with experiment record sheet and fun facts.
specially designed bottle screw caps
Paper cup
Plastic cups
connection wires protective cover
light tower with LED lamp
LCD watch moment
sound chip
transparent adhesive tapes
copper plates (brownish)
zinc plates (silver grey)
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